Action Plan

Shelley Smith
TDM 463
Action Plan
Current Accomplishments

I have accomplished quite a bit in the first part of my internship. I have started working on a training binder for the front desk, provided training to our current and new PBX and Front Desk Associates, learned a lot about the operations side of convention services, and added to my overall knowledge of my job.

Future Goals for the Internship

My goals for the remainder of my internship include:
1. I will be completing the training binder. I would like to add topics such as exchanging currency, sending voicemail blasts, and what to do when a guest’s credit card declines during their stay. This training binder will be very helpful because the topics covered in the binder are situations that don’t happen very often. Because they don’t happen very often, it is very easy to forget what to do in the situation. The training binder will be a point of reference for all associates when these uncommon situations arise.

2. I will be continuing the training that I have started with our current and new PBX and Front Desk Associates. This will include completing everyone’s Critical Path worksheet, making sure every associate gets to see all of our room types, and answering all questions that the associates may have. The associates have been very appreciative for this training so far and they are very excited to have the opportunity to tour our rooms. This training has proved useful so far because the associates are able to get their questions answered as well as learn new procedures.

3. I will be scheduling all Front Desk and PBX associates to cross-train in other departments throughout the resort. The departments that I would like them to get experience in include housekeeping, concierge, bell, and security. Learning how other departments operate and how each department depends on one another will greatly help the associates in their everyday position as well as see things from someone else’s point of view.

4. I will continue to study the various meeting room setups. This will help me everyday in the Executive Meeting Specialist position because it is my responsibility to ensure meeting rooms are set properly before the start of every meeting.

Actions, Resources, and Timeline to Complete These Goals

1. In order to complete the training binder I will need to ensure that I am placed on the schedule at least one day a week for this purpose only. I have already discussed this with the supervisors that create our weekly schedule. The timeline for this project will be from now until the end of my internship.

2. To continue training the Front Desk and PBX Associates I will need to be scheduled appropriately. The supervisors that create the schedule will be assigning associates to train with me every day that I am scheduled. To show associates our rooms, I will need access to a golf cart. I have spoken to security about this already and I will be able to check out a golf cart whenever I need one. On the days that I will be showing rooms, I will be responsible for choosing the room numbers and placing these on hold. I will continue this training throughout the remainder of my internship.

3. To schedule associates to train in other departments I first need to make contact with the managers of the desired departments. I want to ensure that the managers of the desired departments are willing to participate and will be able to provide our associates with a positive experience. I will speak to each manager involved in person no later than this Friday, April 24th. I will also continue to create a list of questions that our associates can ask each department. The actual training will occur between Monday, April 27 and Friday, May 9. This timeline may need to be lengthened or shortened depending on the schedules of the desired departments.

4. In order for me to continue studying the meeting room setups I will be using the Executive Meeting Specialist handbook. This handbook contains all of the meeting room layouts in picture and print form. I will be studying this during any down time that I have so the timeline for this will be from now until the end of my internship.

Future Goals Beyond My Internship

After completing my internship, my future goals include becoming a Catering Manager and potentially becoming starting my own wedding planning business. I intend to accomplish becoming a Catering Manager by first applying for the Administrative Assistant position. This position should be open in early June. As an Administrative Assistant I would learn most of what I would need to know to become a Catering Manager. I would spend as long as I needed in that position in order to learn the necessary skills. I would also continue to network with others in the field as this is a great way to learn about possible job openings. I plan on extending the reach of my networking by joining NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). From there I would apply for the Catering Manager position, assuming it is open at one of the Starwood properties in Arizona. If the position is not open within Starwood then I will start researching other properties in the area. The timeline for this begins with applying for the Administrative Assistant position in June with a goal to become a Catering Manager by the end of the following summer (2010). Once I become a Catering Manager I will evaluate my options and decide whether or not to start my own wedding planning business. This would require me to learn about owning a small business, probably by taking classes at either ASU or a community college.